how to ask permission?

R

rdb7

Full Member
Apr 15, 2008
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Detector(s) used
Ace250 w/ eXcelerator 10x14 DD coil
Hi Guys,

So how do you ask for permission to hunt an old house... a farm..etc?

I haven't tried it yet and it seems like it'd be very awkward... what to say? how often will they be like you're riduculous get off my property lol

1st off there are a lot of farms by me yet i find it hard to know who owns what

then on to houses.. do you just ring the doorbell and say, "Hi I'm 'name'.. would it be ok it if Metal Detected your property?"

?

i'm sick of just hunting tot lots but don't have anything else going as of yet but am trying to line some things up for the first break in the weather

TIA!!
Brian
 

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Ring Doorbell

Hi my name is _______

My hobby is metal detecting.

Are you familiar with what that is....? I then explain..

What I do is drive around and look for older homes and ask permission to detect them , I look mostly for coins....

Talk a bit about what you have found...

Complement them on the nice old homestead.

Ask if maybe they remember if any type of item or items that may have been lost cause you would love to return it.

Be nice and friendly.

Say you will show you everything that is found.

try it it works 9 out of 10 times...

Good Luck .... Don't be afraid....Just be yourself...

If your scared about asking ,,, tell them you are too.... it breaks the ice a little.
 

awesome and detailed advice.. thank you!

i was driving through an entire neighborhood of old homes yesterday... it's funny b/c some look WAY too nice and kept up to ask them and the others look so run down that it's almost scary to approach the front door lol

just have to try it once i guess to see how it goes... maybe i should try at a couple of places i'd like to hunt but aren't the so called 'prizes'... that way i don't stumble on one of the ones i think have the most potential

wish that warm weather would come already ;)
 

rdb7 said:
I haven't tried it yet and it seems like it'd be very awkward... what to say? how often will they be like you're riduculous get off my property
Click to expand...

From what I've heard, that doesn't happen that often... but I guess it all depends on you... read more below.

rdb7 said:
do you just ring the doorbell and say, "Hi I'm 'name'.. would it be ok it if Metal Detected your property?"
Click to expand...

Definitely not. Asking permission to dig up someone's yard is like a fine art. Really if you think about it, this is social engineering at it's best. You are not trying to manipulate someone, but what you have to do is in a few short sentences convey who you are, what your credibility is and what you want. The last thing this stranger has on their mind when they answer the door is that someone wants to dig up their yard. That should be the last thought in their head when you are asking permission, basically after they know who you are and basically start to like you.

I don't have a script per say, because I haven't done a lot of these myself yet... but basically it makes sense to me. I'm hoping some others can chime in with their thoughts.

So you knock or ring the bell... when they answer you might say something like, "Hi my name is John Smith and I live in such and such neighborhood and I do metal detecting with the Your County Historical Blah Blah Association. I'm looking for some older properties with history that I might be able to try and recover old coins and relics of our past." (If you made up some cards with your name, number, address and some kind of an organization name - now would be a good time to give it to them)

At this point you might already get a "yeah go ahead" from them if they know what metal detecting is. If they are staring at you waiting for a question still you might say, "Would it be alright if I looked around your front yard today for an hour or two with my metal detector?" or you could broaded it and say property with no time limit, but still "today" depending on how much they are at ease with you. Hopefully now you'll get the yeah go ahead.

If they start asking about digging holes or whatever, you can tell them, "If I find anything with my metal detector that looks interesting I just dig a small hole, recover the object and put the ground back the way I found it with no messes." (hopefully you can do this... and use a small hand digger... later you might be able to bring a shovel if they like your handywork) If you started a website you can direct them to the area of your site that explains with pictures how you recover an object... that is if they are still worried. Hopefully this site link is on your card.

I would only detect for an hour or so and report back to the owner after you're done if they were hesitant, or come back another time and show them some of the stuff you've found. Maybe tell them some stories of other things you've found if they are interested. You can give them one of your finds as a token of appreciation and they might just freak out at your kindness. Some people are really amazed by things like Buffalo nickels and Indian Head pennies. You could even buy some of these or get some wheaties cheap and give them one of those if you only found one or two items on their property and can't really spare one of your finds. Remember... there is MORE stuff on that property that you haven't even gotten a chance to look at yet, you want to keep the owner happy. They may start to tell you all about other sites you can go to and give you names and numbers. Make sure to carry a pen and paper or have a way to record the information down. If you ask for a revisit, make sure you get their number and tell them that you will call first before coming over.

There are plenty more ways to get permission... I've just taken a rough stab at what to do by knocking on doors. For instance, when calling say a Realtor, or anyone for that matter, never tell them you are asking to metal detect their property in a voice mail... you have to develop that one on one friendly conversation before you can ask something like that... they may have immediate questions and concerns that you'll need to answer quickly instead of letting their mind run wild about this strange person that wants to come dig up their yard. And you don't even know who is going to get that message. Just tell them your name and number and ask them to politely call you back.

I hope more people chime in on this conversation, because this is something I want to develop for myself more and more this year.

Brett
 

A big THANKS, RDB7, for bringing up this subject. :thumbsup:
It's something I've wanted to ask too.
And thanks to those who responded, like Brett, for
excellent advice.

I was wondering too if anyone offers to split the finds, or
give the owner any jewelry that is found while the detector
keeps the rest.
 

Brett, great advice! i never even thought of making biz cards and a site but will now

i'm thinking the conversation and tone will vary based on who answers

ie: for me it'd be easier to talk with an older person then if some 20-24 yr old answers

ps... john deere hat in camo already on LOL
 

UncleVinnys, You shouldn't have to offer to split the finds unless the owner is very hesitant to let you detect their property. I've found that most people really just don't care about old coins. If they lost something of value like Bob said, that would be a great offer... "if you've lost any rings or jewelery, I would be happy to return them to you". Usually just saying you'll bring them back something cool and interesting might be all that it takes to get them to say yes.

It's probably also good to point out at that your detector is not always right, and that you will or have recovered various pieces of scrap metal and garbage. That way they don't think you are looting their yard, when they see you digging a bunch of holes everywhere. This is probably better said after only digging for an hour or so though. Saying it up front doesn't give them confidence that you are going to find anything worth digging up their yard for.

Oh, I did forget to mention... be careful of the season you are in... and what the weather has been like. You don't wanna go right after a rain when the ground is totally muddy... it WILL be a mess. You also don't wanna go when the ground is super dry... your plugs will turn yellow and that won't be good for you. Spring time is good when we are getting rain off and on... go after some rain but not right after. You'll have to experiment with this in your parks first to know what the ground is like, and if it would look alright if it was in someone's yard.

Eventually your reputation will proceed you and hopefully by then you'll have a good one. Just take it slow at first and try to build up your confidence with what you are asking at some properties that don't look older than God. Be ready for someone to have you come into their house and talk to their husband who's in the middle of eating dinner... this happened to my Dad! I guess that's why your info on a card would be good, or maybe even a flier with more info on it if the owners don't have web access.

The private properties are going to have the best finds though... so this is a crucial skill to develop in metal detecting.

Best of luck to you guys.
 

No problem... just trying to help out where I can... and in the process I'm learning too.

That's a picture of MacGyver actually... some kinda surface to air missile I think, although it's bound to be made of wood or foam :) Oh no wait, shhhh... that's really me showing off at a military technology convention... check me out, I'm going to launch this baby right off my back!
 

thanks Sherman.. i don't think i can search the site so i really appreciate it
 

Pick a spot that you really want to hunt, get to know the people, stalking helps. Run into them "coincidentally" a few times and when you're comfortable about it, ask away!

Or take Bob's approach, shotgun the neighborhood and sooner or later some of the recalcitrant owners may cozy up to you from curiosity.

Seriously I've done a lot of the older homes in this town because folks saw me working their curbs/sidewalks during construction or removal. Sometimes when approached in the park by the curious, I make as much conversation with them as possible and that's lead to sites also.

Stay visible and be approachable, wave and smile now and then.
 

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